Catholic leaders in S.J. express happiness over Vatican's choice

STOCKTON - The first pope from Latin America. The first pope to take the name of St. Francis of Assisi. History's first Jesuit pope.

Kevin Parrish

STOCKTON - The first pope from Latin America. The first pope to take the name of St. Francis of Assisi. History's first Jesuit pope.

Catholic leaders in San Joaquin County had a lot to celebrate Wednesday - including those precedents - when 76-year-old Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio stepped onto the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica wearing simple white robes.

"In the long history of the church, there is a sense that this is a transitional moment," said Brian Klunk, a University of the Pacific political science professor. "From the time of Constantine, there has been a sense of the church being identified at the core of European and Western civilization."

No more.

Francis, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, is known for his humility and his outreach style of ministry.

"I was just very moved when he came out onto the balcony," said Bishop Stephen Blaire, the 71-year-old leader of the Diocese of Stockton.

"Before he gave the people his first blessing, he bowed and asked them to bless him. I was very touched and moved by that."

Blaire also was encouraged that history's 266th head of the Catholic Church took the namesake of San Francisco.

"The name conveys the whole spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, who loved the poor and was a man of great simplicity, a man dedicated to rebuilding the church at that time (the 13th century)," Blaire said.

"I am very impressed with this pope's first gestures."

Francis is the first pontiff from the Western Hemisphere and the first from outside Europe in more than 1,200 years.

He becomes pope of a church in need.

"There is agreement in so many quarters that the administration of the Vatican has been in a state of crisis," said Klunk, 57, a member of Church of the Presentation. Klunk, who has done research on Catholic social teaching, pointed specifically at the sexual-abuse crisis, which is being dealt with "pragmatically" in the United States, but "strangely, the rest of world is far behind."

Klunk also found significance in Bergoglio choosing Francis ("the most popular saint in history") as his papal name and in the cardinals' selection from the Jesuit order ("they have a distinctive spirituality ... imagining yourself actually present in the Scriptures") .

The Pacific professor said St. Francis, known for his call to restore the church, also is a historic symbol of trying to accommodate other religions. "During the crusades, he met with Muslim leaders and tried to negotiate an agreement," Klunk said. "He is a saint who stands for reaching out to other faith traditions."

Alvira Ramirez, the 53-year-old director of the diocese's Catholic Charities, was thrilled with Wednesday's announcement.

"I didn't know I would see this in my lifetime - a Latino," she said. "We have someone from Argentina, with some understanding of Europe and a man with Latino sensitivities. It is a hopeful sign, a good sign."

She said the church needs to stay close to the gospel message. "The challenges internal to the church are true. We need a leader to address those and the external needs of today's world," Ramirez said.

She saw the selection as pivotal to the future. "We are all looking forward to leadership that will speak to the realities we deal with on a day-to-day basis."

José López, director of Latino youth and migrant ministries for the diocese, said that Jesus, reading the signs of his time, fashioned his salvation message accordingly. He said the church was now reading the signs of the 21st century.

"This is a symbol that the Catholic Church is universal. We aren't staying in the past. We are a church of tradition, but we are always seeking the good of all," López said. "It is a not a church that closes. It is a church that opens."

At 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Rev. Msgr. John Armistead presided over the regularly scheduled Cathedral of the Annunciation Mass that is part of the church's Lenten calendar.

For the first time, when reciting the canon of prayers, he added the name of Pope Francis.